Way Too Good at Goodbye
by Werewolfluva
Summary: Two times Mark has to save Vex, and the one time the tables turned.
1. Barking Up the Wrong tree

**Barking up the wrong tree**

"You're bloody joking." Gale groaned as Mark once again beat him at billiards. "How in hell do you keep doing that?"

Mark laughed, "If you can't see who is getting hustled in the pool hall, it's probably you."

"Right foul bastard you are. I've been playing pool since it was invented and a bloody child has beat me twice." Gale grumbled angrily, resetting the balls.

"Hey, a kid had to make a living running from a hunter." Mark shrugged, leaning against his stick.

"Who the hell was dumb enough to let you into a bar?"

Mark shrugged. "I had my ways." Gale rolled his eyes.

"I could get into any bar until they changed the drinking age. Every American bouncer wouldn't believe that I was over 21. I got so mad at the bouncer one night that I screamed at him that I was almost 700 years old and this was bullshit. Yeah, he called the cops. You should've seen my father's face when he came to pick me up from the mental ward." Gale shook his body in remembrance. Mark doubled over in laughter.

"Why wouldn't you just go to a fae bar?"

Gale rolled his eyes. "That would be too simple wouldn't it? I was in my "rebellious" phase from about the 60s to the 90s. Culture was changing so rapidly and I would have done anything to piss my father off. I even ironed my sister's hair, much to my mother's horror."

"You _ironed_ your sister's hair?"

"Yeah it was a thing. Before flat irons existed, girls would lay their head on an ironing board and you'd take an iron to their hair to make it flat. Hair wasn't supposed to flat back then. We had some funky hairstyles. I had a mullet at one point. My brother, Floki, cut it off while I was asleep one night."

"Oh my god! I would _kill_ for a picture of that!" Mark continued his breathless laughter.

Gale waved him off. "No. You really wouldn't."

"What other stupid shit did you do?"

"Oh just about everything." He started a new game with the breaking shot. "I convinced Gunnolf and Hrolleif to get tramp stamps when they were 120. Halvar and I used to take little sucker fish and put them on the train tracks and watch them pop. Stupid boy shit like that."

Mark took his shot, instantly getting 3 striped balls in. "I wish I had had brother's to grow up with. It sounds like it was fun."

Gale rolled his eyes. "Be thankful you didn't. I can't tell you how many times I begged Frigg to make me an only child. When it was the four of us everything was fine but once Gunnolf and Hrolleif were born it went to hell in a handbasket."

"Why?"

"6 immature werewolfs running around in one house. Parents who were never home. My sister regularly told us she'd like to hang us by our testicles to a powerline."

Mark was laughing so hard he missed his shot and cursed while Gale smirked.

"But you guys were like over 100 years old. How were you all nut jobs?"

Gale scoffed. "Please, you're not an adult in my family until your dawning. Which usually happens at like 600ish."

"Yeah I'm still not excited for that." Mark frowned.

"You'll be fine. I'm sure your father will hire Stella. She's the best. We can all help train you up."

Mark smiled affectionately at him. "Thanks Gale."

Gale, refusing to meet the younger boys eyes, jerked his head in a nod before missing his shot and cursing.

Mark slid his phone out of his back pocket, frowning at the lack of notifications. Gale noticed. "What's wrong, mate? You've checked your phone like 8 times in the past 20 minutes. Expecting a call?"

Mark shook his head. "No, not really. I mean yes but I shouldn't be." Gale quirked an eyebrow. Mark sighed. "Vex went out to do some kind of job this morning. He should be back by now which is why I was expecting him to text me. But we're not like, exclusive or anything so I don't know why I'm expecting a message."

"Ah," Gale acknowledged, lining up his next shot. "Boy trouble. Or man, rather. By the gods I think he's older than my sister."

"Not helping, Gale."

"Sorry," that was when the older boy noticed the look of worry creasing Mark's brow. "Well, looks like I'm already fucked in this game. Why don't we drop by his apartment to check?"

Mark instantly brightened, "Really?"

"Yeah, what trouble could he have possibly gotten into?"

The two set off for the luxury apartment buildings. The apartments stood on fae neutral territory and had a high tolerance for the supernatural and strange. Gale still had yet to tell Mark he was currently renting an apartment only 3 floors up from Vex.

They reached Vex's door and Mark knocked several times. Gale's nostrils flared in time with his hackles rising. "Do you smell that?"

Mark tilted his head, "Yeah, it smells like… metal or something."

"Iron. There's blood and a lot of it." He rose his foot and kicked in the door.

"Vex!" Mark called, following Gale further into the apartment. "V, where are you?"

Gale came around the corner and stopped short, his already pale complexion turning a shade whiter. Mark bumped into his back, not yet having seen the display. When he turned his head, a small scream left his throat.

Vex was splayed out on his living room floor in an awkward position as if he'd fallen. Both of his wrists were slit deeply, blood covered his shag carpet and tight latex pants. His eyes were closed and there was blood spatter over his neck but no visible wound.

Mark pushed past Gale, who was frozen to his spot in shock. The panther dropped to his knees beside Vex, tears already slipping down his face. He yelled Vex's name over and over, laying a hand over the man's chest and lowering his head to the other man's.

"He's still breathing. Gale he's breathing!"

"I-I'll get some towels," Gale stuttered out, clutching the wall to steady himself as he stumbled out of the room.

Mark slid his arms under Vex's chest, lifting him slightly. His heart beat faintly and agonizingly slow. "Don't do this to me okay? You were one of the first people I ever cared about. Please don't leave me like this." Mark's tears mixed with the blood on Vex's leather vest and dripped down his side. Mark clutched Vex's body to him, sobbing out, "Please wake up."

Gale was back in a flash, wrapping the towels around Vex's wrists and creating a sort of tourniquet. "I'm gonna call Lauren, okay? We have to get him to the clinic. You have to help me." Mark nodded hurriedly, sniffling.

Gale went to lift Vex's body when Mark snarled, "I've got him." Gale held up his hands in mock surrender, walking toward the door and checking the hallways for humans.

Mark, gently as possible, lifted Vex's dead weight from the ground, clutching the man to his chest as a painful sob wracked it. He shifted Vex in his arms, jostling him slightly when he groaned ever so quietly. "Vex?" Mark shook him. "V, can you hear me?"

Vex groaned again, mumbling something incoherently. This is when Mark began to notice the dark blue and purple bruises that seemed to be covering Vex's pale body.

"Oh god, what happened? Why didn't you come talk to me?" Mark whispered in Vex's raven hair. He received more incoherent mumbling in response.

Mark held Vex's body closely in the back of Gale's '67 Chevelle. Mark was afraid he'd blow up the transmission the way he was driving, desperately trying to get across town to Lauren's clinic. He glanced in the rearview mirror every few seconds, watching Mark's facial expressions. He sped well beyond the legal limit when the color drained from Mark's face. Vex had begun to shiver vigorously.

"Gale…"

"I know!" He screeched into the clinic a mere 5 minutes later, Mark bolting out of the car before it was in park.

"Bring him in here!" Lauren called when she saw Mark brust through the clinic doors. Mark brought Vex to the bed they had all laid in at one point or another. Lauren made quick work of snipping Vex's black shirt and leather vest off. She attached him to a heart rate and pulse monitor, putting an oxygen mask on his face. She unwrapped the towels from around his wrists and sucked in a breath. "Oh god…"

"What?" Mark pestered, wringing his hands.

"His wrists… the tendons are cut. On both of them." Lauren stated in slight shock.

"I don't think he did this to himself, Doc." Gale had appeared from the parking lot.

"Consistent with the bruising on his torso, it's likely someone did it to him." She agreed. "The question is, who?"

"He said he was doing a job for someone he owed, but he never said what the job was or where." Mark supplied.

"But he was in his apartment. Which means someone wanted people to think this was a suicide." Gale added.

"A way to cover their tracks?" Lauren suggested. Suddenly, the machine beeps repeatedly and Vex's blood pressure began to drop. "He's crashing!" She shouted, racing to get the crash cart but Gale beat her to it. He leaned over Vex's body, administering CPR.

"C'mon, Vex!" Gale yelled at the man who then took a deep breath, vitals returning to a somewhat stable state.

"He needs a blood transfusion." Lauren stated. "He's lost far too much. I don't know if I'll be able to fix his tendons."

Mark, looking dejected and defeated, rested his forehead against Vex's. He held the man's cheek ever so gently, brushing his thumb over the high cheekbone. "Please don't leave me." His voice broke off into a slight sob.

"If you can't fix his tendons, he can't use his hands. He's a mesmer; he'll starve to death." Gale mumbled to Lauren who nodded sadly in confirmation. Gale sighed, pulling off his jacket. "Use my blood." Lauren looked up at him, confused.

"You once asked me why my parents weren't afraid that I would get ill when the lycanthrope plague came through this colony. Use my blood on Vex and you'll find out. I'm O neg." Lauren looked like she wanted to protest but decided against it, simply heading for the blood transfusion tools.

The tanned boy with tear stained cheeks looked up at him. "Thank you." Gale nodded to him, something along the lines of 'I'm not doing it for you,' wanted to pass his lips but he was not in the habit of lying to Mark.

Gale sat in a chair beside Vex's bed and Lauren hooked him up to transfer his blood to Vex. "Lauren," Mark's voice cracked but he was no longer crying. "What can I do?"

Lauren pursed her lips. "He's still shivering. Maybe some body heat and fur would help." She gave a slight smile to which Mark tried to return. Lauren left the room and Mark looked toward Gale.

"Are you okay if I…"

"You do you, panther." Gale's gruff accent put Mark at ease. Mark shifted in his coal colored panther and delicately hopped up on the bed between Vex's legs. He laid his head over his paws on top of Vex's chest, being careful not to place too much weight on the other man. Vex's shivering died down and his body seemed to curl in on itself and around Mark's warmth.

After 3 hours, Gale was fighting sleep. Mark had passed out with Vex an hour ago while Gale silently watched the panther's tail flick contentedly. Gale's eyes fluttered shut for only a few seconds before he forced them open again.

Lauren had come in periodically to see Vex's vitals improving slowly. "Your blood," She had said, "it has some incredible healing properties." Vex's wrist wounds had almost completely scarred over but finger movement was still unlikely.

"What can I say?" Gale's voice portrayed cockiness but his expression displayed sadness. "I'm blessed."

Lauren began to unhook Gale from the transfusion equipment and removed Vex's oxygen mask. "You should get some rest. This took a lot of you." She spoke to Gale who stubbornly tried to stand.

"I'm fine," he said as he began to sway. Lauren caught his elbow, steadying him and pushing him back down into the chair.

"No, Gale. Even you aren't immune to the effects of a large blood transfusion." He scowled at her.

"I have to get home."

"It's not safe for you to be on the roads."

" _I'm fine_." He hissed.

"I'll take him home." The two looked towards the doorway to see Dyson leaning against the frame.

"I don't need a babysitter."

"Your mother would kill me if you got into an accident. And your father would then kill you for crashing that car. I'll drive you home." Dyson let a small smile slip onto his face.

"Dad?" Mark had shifted, sitting at the edge of Vex's bed and using an extra blanket to cover himself. "What're you doing here?"

"I called him." Lauren spoke.

Dyson approached his son. "Hey, buddy. Do you need anything?" Mark shook his head, looking down at Vex whose color had returned.

"Is he gonna be okay?" He asked Lauren who nodded.

"Gale's blood healed him for the most part. We still don't know about his hands."

"I'm sure they'll heal. I am a miracle worker after all." Gale said, narcissistic personality taking hold. He went to stand, using the chair for support. Taking one step forward, he faltered. Dyson caught him under the arms, helping right him. He patted the boy's chest.

"Sure you are, tough guy. Let's get you home." Gale grumbled under his breath but allowed Dyson to help him toward the door. "Call me if you need anything." Dyson threw over his shoulder to Mark and Lauren.

Mark shifted back, curling up with an unconscious Vex again while Lauren disappeared into the rest of the clinic.

It seemed like forever before Vex opened his eyes. At first he was groggy, adjusting to the bright lights of the clinic and the obnoxious beep of the heart monitor. He felt an odd weight just above his hips and raised his head slightly to see the giant cat splayed across his legs. "What in bloody hell?" He squeaked, voice hoarse.

The panther looked up at him, blinking several times as though he had just woken up himself. His tail started to flick back and forth happily as he rubbed his head against Vex's hand and purred. "Mark?"

Mark shifted, a chuckle rumbling through his chest. "Do you know of any other panthers?"

"To be honest, I'm pretty positive I'm hallucinating." Vex spoke in that unique tone of his that Mark loved. He pulled the leads off of himself and Mark shut the machine off before it could go into a frenzy.

"You're alive, Vex."

"Was there a possibility I wasn't going to be?" His voice, pitiful and strained as it was, still laced with humor.

"Yes." Mark deadpanned. "You slit your wrists open."

Vex's dark brow furrowed, looking down at his wrists in bandages. "I definitely don't remember that."

"Gale doesn't think you did it to yourself. Neither does Lauren."

"Well they are correct. I think I'd remember trying to kill meself." Vex attempted a laugh, reaching up to touch Mark's face. He went to curl his fingers, only to discover that was about the most difficult task he had ever had. "Oh no."

Mark looked at his hand and frowned. His fingers twitched like they had received the command from his nerves but lacked the ability to follow through. "You got cut down to your tendons. We were hoping Gale's blood would heal you but I guess it wasn't enough."

"You're bloody joking. This is the second god damn time I've lost my powers!" He stared at his hands incredulously and then seemed to hone in on one aspect of Mark's words. "Did you say 'Gale's blood'?"

"Yeah, Lauren needed a quick solution and Gale was O neg." Mark confirmed.

"Oh that's just bloody brilliant. Now I'm going to get heartworms or fleas or some shit." Mark rolled his eyes, lighting punching Vex's shoulder.

"Shut up. He saved your life. I was afraid I was going to lose you." Vex looked into his eyes, confusion clouding his own.

"You hadn't texted me like you said you would when you got home. You had promised. I started to get anxious and Gale offered to bring me by your apartment. When we got to the door we smelled blood. A lot of it. He kicked down the door and he found you in the living room.

"I was fucking useless, I justed started panicking but Gale went to get towels and wrapped your wrists and then got me to carry you to the car. He sped like a bat out of hell to the clinic. I held you in the backseat and you were bleeding on me and I swore I had heard your heart stop and you started shivering…" Mark trailed off as Vex tried to sit up, throwing his arms around Mark.

"I'm here now, love. That's all that matters." He murmured. Mark looked into Vex's dark eyes, darting to his lips and back. Contemplation was clear on his face. Vex saved him and leaned in, pressing his chapped lips against Mark's soft, full ones.

The kiss was soft and sweet until Vex nipped at Mark's bottom lip and slipped his tongue into the boy's mouth. Mark ran his hand through Vex's short hair, holding the back of his head and pushing them closer. Eventually he had pulled Vex all the way up and into his lap. They pulled away for a moment to catch their breath.

"Guess I should slit my wrists more often," Vex joked but Mark growled, biting at his lip.

"I swear, if you _ever_ try to die on me again, I'll bring you back and kill you myself."

"That's a little harsh. I'm sure a spanking would do." Vex grinned and Mark rolled his eyes.

"It's not a punishment if you enjoy it," the panther remarked.

"Oh, touché."

Mark kissed up Vex's throat, the mesmer's eyes rolling into the back of his head. "Let's try something," he whispered in Vex's ear.

"Like what?" Vex mumbled in pleasure. Mark began to delicately untie the back of his boyfriend's hospital gown.

"Like make it official." Marks hand slid up Vex's thighs, gripping the inside and dragging him closer. Vex practically purred.

"Are you sure, love? I mean, I don't want to pressure you into anything. For god's sake I don't even know if your cherry has ever been popped and you're father would _kill_ me if he ever,-" Mark cut Vex off with a harsh kiss.

"You talk too much." He grabbed Vex's hips and placed them atop his own so Vex was closer on his lap, against his rock hard sex. He took Vex's forearms and wrapped them around his neck, being careful of the bandages. "Keep them there," he growled.

"My god it's like I've pulled you out of a fantasy." Vex whispered as Mark kissed him again with a chuckle.

"Glad to know you fantasize about me."

"Oh you have no idea. It all started with that stupid oracle and the first blowjob you ever gave me. Though I suppose that wasn't really the first seeing as it wasn't real." He rambled and Mark's head shot up.

"You saw me? When the Oracles came, you saw me? And I gave you a blowjob? We had only just met!" Mark laughed.

Vex bit his lip and turned his cherry red cheeks away from Mark. Mark gripped his chin and turned him back to face him. "Hey, I was only teasing. I knew I liked you from the first time we met. You smelled like whiskey and latex when you sat on the bar. I didn't know what it was then but my pather purred at the scent. I thought I was going to kiss you right then and there. The only thing that held me back was the fact I was pretty sure I wasn't gay. That changed." He laughed and Vex blushed again. Mark loved the rosy color against the usual pale skin.

"Yeah well,when the world almost ends, beggars can't be choosers." Vex tried to joke but Mark caught his lips with his own. He was grinding against the mesmer, fingers digging into the muscle of Vex's back.

Mark pulled back when Vex grunted into the kiss. "Am I hurting you?"

Vex tilted his head. "Love, even if you were, it would only make me harder." He rolled his hips up against Mark's.

Mark rolled his eyes for what must've been the 100th time that day. "I keep forgetting you're a kinky masochist." Vex winked and Mark reclaimed his mouth. It was at this moment Mark was glad Lauren had insisted getting Vex's clothes off.

Mark pulled back from Vex, holding his hand out in front of the man's mouth. "Spit." Vex looked into his eyes, a hunger filling them as he put as much spit as he could into Mark's hand. Mark had removed the blanket in between them and draped it over Vex's shoulders. He rubbed the spit over his hard cock, slightly lubricating it.

Vex grinded against him in anticipation. Mark looked up at him. "Do you need uh, to be, you know, prepped or anything?"

Vex looked like he was holding in a smirk. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? You know I was looking into this stuff and-," Vex laughed.

"You have been reading about how to do this? Jesus I forget how innocent you are."

Mark tugged on Vex's hair with a growl, "I'm not innocent, I just wanted you comfortable but I seem to be forgetting again."

"About what?"

At that moment Mark shoved his full length into Vex's tight ass. He felt the muscles in Vex's arms tense as he let out a loud moan that Mark suppressed with a kiss. "You like it when I hurt you."

Vex moaned again in confirmation, relying on Mark's hands clutching his hips to keep him balanced. Mark started to pound into him, ripping a moan from his lover's throat with every thrust. Mark's hands wandered up and down the soft skin of Vex's sides, digging his nails into the man's hipbones and pulling him impossibly closer.

Vex's head rested against Mark's broad shoulder and they could hear one another's panting breath and racing heart. Mark slammed into Vex just right, causing him to arch his back, brushing his chest against Mark's and letting out a shuddering moan. He'd found what he'd been looking for.

Mark smirked, ramming into Vex again to get the same response. This act continued until Vex spoke in a breathy whisper. "I'm gonna come."

"Wait," Mark growled, getting close himself. Vex whimpered, holding it in but secretly loving the roughness Mark was showing him.

Mark came first, his orgasm rocking through Vex as he rode it out. Mark grabbed Vex's weeping sex and pumped a few times before muttering, "Come." Vex gasped out his release, covering Mark's chest with it. He let out an ear-shattering moan that was slightly muffled by Mark's other hand, and his body shuddered over and over. His forearms squeezed around Mark's neck but his fingers wouldn't budge.

After Vex's final convulsion, he collapsed against Mark's chest. Mark took his weight with a grunt, expecting as much with Vex being somewhat weak from his injuries. He knew Vex wouldn't have enough stamina.

Vex pressed his flushed face against Mark's neck, still panting. Mark was able to slow his breathing in a relatively short amount of time but Vex was still breathing heavily. Mark ran his hand soothingly up and down Vex's curved spine, feeling the tremors that ran through his body.

"Easy, V." He coaxed, feeling Vex's heart still racing. Vex nodded into Mark's neck.

"I'm fine." He choked out in a breath.

Mark chuckled. "Sure you are, tough guy. Gale said the same thing before he practically passed out."

Vex snorted at that, but was too out of breath to make a remark, Mark placed his hands on Vex's back, laying him down gently. Vex's breath stuttered when Mark finally pulled out of him. "Fuck," he mumbled.

Mark grabbed another blanket, throwing it over Vex. Vex's pale skin was still flushed but his breathing had slowed. "That was…" He looked up at Mark as he spoke. "That was fun." A small grin raised Vex's lips and Mark laughed.

"Fun?" Mark brushed a piece of the other's hair off his sweaty forehead.

"Yeah, that was intense. I've never fucked after almost dying. Definitely a recommended experience." Mark slapped Vex's shoulder who laughed.

Mark got up and took a towel to wipe the cum off his chest before sliding his pants back on. He slipped his shirt over his head when Vex frowned. "You're not leaving me right?"

Mark smiled softly. "No. Of course not. There's just not enough room for the both of us on that bed." He chuckled but Vex frowned.

"I could scoot over?"

Mark shook his head, cupping Vex's cheek and kissing him deeply again. Vex melted into it, fingers twitching again like he wanted to grab Mark but couldn't. Mark let go of him and pulled the chair closer to Vex's bed. He put his hand over Vex's once he had settled into the chair and rubbed his thumb across his lover's knuckles.

"I'll be right here okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'm not leaving you this time."

And that's how Lauren found them the next morning: Mark half curled up in the chair, head resting on Vex's stomach and arm slung over Vex's hips. What surprised her? Vex's fingers laced in Mark's, clutching tightly.

"It's that one." Gale said to Dyson, pointing to his apartment building.

"Isn't this the one Vex lives in too?" Gale refused to meet his gaze but jerked his head in a nod. Dyson parked the car and got out, opening Gale's door and helping him out.

"You don't have to come up with me. I think I can handle myself."

Dyson chuckled. "You SútUlfr's. So damn stubborn. I'll take you up but I'm going to check out Vex's place. See if I can find anything that may tell us who did this to him."

Gale smirked, "Thought you hated the guy?"

"I could ask the same of you."

"I didn't do it for Vex."

"No. Neither do I." Gale looked up into Dyson's eyes, seeing the look he himself wore often. Gale sighed, pulling his arms around himself as the night breeze chilled him.

Dyson went to the trunk and pulled out a cardboard box. It had 'O' scrawled on the cover. "I was going through some old things and I found these. I thought you might like to have them." He handed the box to Gale who opened it curiously.

The box was full of tapes, VCR and cassette, and film strips as well as a few envelopes full of pictures. Some polaroid others obviously digital. A pink music box was tucked to the side. "What are these?" Gale's voice cracked, knowing the answer to his question.

"All the things I could find of her." Dyson's voice had become gruff with emotion.

"Why?" Gale whispered.

"She was your sister too." The man answered simply.

A single tear slipped down Gale's face, jaw set in a hard line. "Thank you."


	2. Fancy a Swim?

**Fancy a Swim?**

"Mark, get table 6 please."

"Did you wipe table 9? There's people waiting on it."

"Mark! Man the bar will you?" Mark heard his father's voice from behind him once again, digging his fingernails into his palm.

"Yes, dad." He grumbled out, snatching his rag from the table and making his way behind the bar.

"I'll take a Manhattan, sweet thang," A man's fake southern drawl startled Mark who had been pouring a beer.

Mark looked up and saw Gale smirking at him from across the bar. The panther growled at the wolf and poured him a pitcher of mead. "You will get what I can make." He glared at his friend who laughed.

"Having a rough day?" Gale sipped at his mead, looking around the Dal.

"Don't get me started. My father has been up my ass about everything." He said low enough so only Gale could hear.

Gale laughed loudly. "Well, speaking of father's, I have news."

Mark's ears perked. "What?"

"You know how a few months ago when Vex got his wrists slit, we figured it wasn't him?"

"Like I could forget."

"Pixies."

"Pixies?"

"Yeah, they do the dirty work of dwarves occasionally."

"And this has to do with how Vex got hurt….?"

"Vex picked up a job. One _my_ father sent him on."

"You're shitting me."

"Why would I shit on you?" Mark glared at Gale with a deadpan face. "Anyway! My father sent Vex on a job to find a particular dwarf. I'm assuming Vex got close and that's why he got sliced and diced. That dwarf did _not_ want to be found, let me tell you."

"And I can only assume your sneaky ass found him."

"Look at you, Nancy Drew." Gale rhymed with a wink. "Yes, I did. And I figured out why my father was looking for him."

"Care to share with the class?"

"Not particularly at this moment," Gale said nonchalantly as he finished off his mead and slid the pitcher toward Mark.

Mark slammed his hands down on the bar, drawing a small amount of attention. "Really, Gale? You're going to bait me with information and then just _drop it_?"

"I said I wasn't going to share at this moment. Not that I wasn't going to tell you indefinitely." He shrugged, nodding toward his glass. "Bartender."

Mark narrowed his eyes, snatching the glass and refilling it.

"Hey! Can I get another?" Some fae yelled at him from the end of the bar.

"No!" Mark snapped at him.

"Mark!"

"Shit."

"Go to the back and put the new keg on tap. Clearly, you can't handle anything else today." Dyson scolded, going back behind the bar top. Gale snickered at the boy who growled at him.

Mark trudged out back, slamming the door behind him. He had only made it halfway through his task when his phone went off. He looked down at it, rolling his eyes and smiling at the message.

From: V

Pike's Quarry. SOS ;)

Mark went back out to the front, grabbing his jacket.

"And where do you think you're going? I can't do everything by myself." Dyson folded his arms over his chest, giving his child the signature "Dad" look.

"Sorry, it's an SOS."

"From who?" Dyson called after him.

Mark paused, "Uh, Kenzi. Must be a Dagny thing." He threw over his shoulder as he ran out.

Gale tilted his head, a suspicious look in his eyes. He slid his eyes over to Dyson's who looked furious, but otherwise unconcerned. He rapped his nails against the bar top for a few moments before sliding out of his chair and the bar.

"Vex!" Mark called, pulling his jacket closer to him as the November air chilled him. "Babe, where are you?" He walked up the dirt path that lead to the very top of the quarry. "Stop fucking around, V, it's cold."

Mark heard something rustle in the bushes slightly ahead of him.

"Vex, this isn't funny anymore." Caution slipped into Marks tone. A scent drifted past his nose and he furrowed his brow. He had little time to contemplate as two burly men came up behind him and kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall to the ground. They grabbed his shoulders and arms, shoving them behind his back and practically lifting him off the ground. They dragged him further up the Quarry but out of sight, hidden behind the brush.

When they reached the top, Mark paled. Another burly man held a prisoner; handcuffed, gagged and bleeding from his hairline.

"Vex!" Mark tried to fight the men that held him to no avail. A tall, gangly man straightened from his spot, leaning against the black hood of a van. He held Vex's phone in his hands, twirling it around.

"'Mark! Glad you could make it ol' boy!" The man greeted.

Mark snarled at him. "Who the fuck are you?!"

"If you must know," he smirked, "I'm a collector. Of rare fae. And well, I couldn't help myself! The mesmer was enough to get my knickers wet but then, oh but then! I find out that the last mesmer has been sleeping around with one of the almost extinct were-panthers! It's my lucky day!" His voice was giddy and he grinned at the two.

"Put him in the van," the burly man who held Vex told the two who held Mark. Vex's eyes widened and he began to thrash violently. The man holding him was caught off guard and Vex's movements threw him off balance. He suddenly let go of the mesmer but Vex was no better off for balance.

"Vex!" Mark screamed as the world seemed to spin in slow motion. He watched Vex tip backwards as the man released him, handcuffs making him unable to regain balance. He kept stepping backwards where all his weight rested until he ran out of ground to step backwards on. He met Mark's eyes, a terrified glaze setting in, as what little ground was under him collapsed, sending him tumbling down into the quarry.

"No!" Marked fought vigorously and the men kicked his knees again. He couldn't hear Vex fall or the muffled scream, only the splash of the water when he landed. Mark's eyes flashed a bright green as a deep, threatening snarl ripped it's way out of his chest.

"Sedate him!" The tall man shouted, seeing Mark begin to shift. One of the guards pulled out a vial and began to siphon something out with a needle. All Mark heard was the shattering of glass and a body dropping to the ground. Before anyone had time to react, another arrow split the air and a man's chest. One of the guards holding Mark fell to the ground, the other let Mark go and began to back away.

Mark shut out the noise of arrows zinging through the air and bodies dropping into the dirt. His mind was solely focused on saving Vex. His body grew hot and fur erupted over his skin. He snarled again, nose elongating slightly into the maw of a panther. He shot toward the edge of the cliff, slinging his body over the side and digging his claws into the rock. With the famous big cat agility, he slid down the rockface, jumping from ledge to ledge when available, and finally into the water.

The mighty hunter, who had now taken out every man who had been set on taking Mark and Vex, came down from his vantage point and looked over the cliff face. He saw Mark easily scale down to the cold water below where his precious Vex had fallen.

"It's like fucking Lion King all over again," Gale muttered, jumping to the van and starting the engine.

Mark was almost shocked into shifting once he entered the icy water. He composed himself, diving under again to get a glance as to where Vex was. His nimble body and strong paws helped him avoid spearing himself on the sharp rocks he swam above.

He came up for air once again, noticing that black van traveling down to the quarry. He decided that was a problem for a different time as he dove back under to find Vex. He felt as if he had searched every inch of the large quarry to no avail.

"Mark!" The panther's head popped out of the water only to see his very best friend standing by the edge of the quarry. "There!" He was pointing towards the edge of the quarry where Mark caught a glimpse of black latex floating.

He dove back under again, swimming toward the outline of a body under the water. He nosed the body, getting no reaction. He began to panic, maneuvering Vex's body over his back and dragging him towards the shallows.

Gale helped pull Vex out of the water, laying him flat on the dirt as Mark shifted. Gale was checking for vital signs, color instantly leaving his face.

"I've got no pulse."

"No, no, no," Mark begged, placing his head over Vex's chest. "He's not breathing!"

"Move," Gale spoke calmly, pushing Mark away. He placed his knees on either side of Vex's chest and began CPR. "Mark, hold his nose and blow air into his mouth." Mark did as he was told but Vex didn't change. Mark held his face, feeling how cold his cheek had become.

"C'mon, Vex," Gale grouched as he tried to start Vex's heart. "C'mon you bastard. You are not allowed to leave him." He pushed on Vex's chest with every word. Gale sat back on his heels after almost a whole minute.

"Mark…"

"No! Not like this!" Mark begged, taking Vex's body from Gale and hugging the mesmer to his chest.

Gale rubbed his face, trying to think. Lauren's was too far. He needed electricity and fast. "Jumper cables…" he muttered.

"What?" Mark questioned.

"The car. Jumper cables," Gale shot up from his spot. "Bring him here!" He yelled, digging through the van. Lo and behold they carried jumper cables in a utility van. "Lay him flat." Gale instructed, opening the hood and attaching the cables, testing them. Sparks shot in front of his face which twisted into a grin.

"Don't touch him." Gale placed the cables and touched them to Vex's chest. His body convulsed, but otherwise remained dead. Gale used his wolf hearing, hoping to hear a heartbeat. He shocked Vex again with no change.

"C'mon you motherfucker. I will roast you if you don't get your ass back here." Gale yelled, shocking him again.

Then he heard it. "Ha! I have sinus rhythm!"

Mark took his place, grabbing Vex's body. Vex choked for a moment, gurgling. Mark rolled him onto his side and he coughed up the water in his lungs - along with blood.

Vex, who remained completely out of it, began to shiver from his wet clothes. Gale pulled off his jacket and laid it over Vex. "C'mon, we've gotta get to Lauren."

"Again," Mark choked desperately. Gale simply grimaced. Mark went to lift Vex's body when a guttural scream left Vex's lips. Mark halted all movement while Vex began to pant.

Gale removed the jacket he had placed on Vex, now pulling off his wet shirt and vest as well. Vex's torso was turning various shades of purple and Gale cursed at the particularly large bruise on his upper left side. Little puncture wounds littered his side and back.

"He hit the rocks. We've gotta go _now_." Gale replaced the coat on top of Vex, scooping his body up and ignoring his cries of pain. He neglected to notice the state of shock Mark was in.

Mark had begun to shiver in his naked form, the cold water finally catching up to him as his wet hair dripped onto his shoulders. If he heard Gale speak he made no motion other than a whimper in response to hearing Vex's cries.

"Son of a…" Gale got Vex into the van, laying him out on the backseat bench. He gathered Mark up into his arms and half dragged him into the front seat, throwing a towel he found in the back over the shivering boy.

Gale turned the key but the van stalled. "No, no, no, c'mon you fucker!" He tried again but the engine wouldn't turn over. Gale slammed his hands down on the steering wheel, causing the horn to honk. He was no mechanic but he popped the hood and attempted to find the problem.

That was, until he heard Mark's phone ring. Gale scrambled back into the van, digging for the phone and finally retrieving it. The two men in the van were shivering terribly and Gale was at his wit's end.

"Hello?!"

"Mark finally, you-," the female voice caught itself, "Wait, that's not Mark."

"No it's Gale."  
"Oh, Gale. What are you doing with Mark's phone?" Gale finally recognized the concerned, motherly voice to be Bo.

"I don't have time to explain, Bo, I need you to get Lauren to Pike's quarry and then we have to get back to her clinic. And bring a fuckton of blankets."

"What? I don't-,"

"Bo!" Gale shouted, "Do it, now!"

Gale could hear both Mark and Vex hyperventilating and shivering. He went to Mark first, trying to get his attention.

"Mark, hey, c'mon love." Mark's eyes looked at him but he had no reaction to the words or touch. "Fuckk," Gale cursed. He went to Vex next.

Vex was the epitome of unstable and in need of a hospital. Gale pulled him up, despite the strangled scream that left his throat. Gale wrestled Vex out of his latex pants and zipped his jacket up around Vex again.

Gale went back to Mark and picked up him, wrangling him into the back with Vex. He sat them both close to each other, peeling his own shirt off and putting it on Mark. He wrapped Mark's makeshift blanket around the two, rubbing their arms to warm them. He tried to hold them both close to his own body to warm them as he anxiously awaited Bo.

Gale's arms were sore from rubbing the two men next to him. Their wet hair was starting to chill his bare chest. Vex's pulse was almost non-existent while Marks was steadily slowing.

"You know, I'm real fucking tired of being the one to save both of your asses. I'm starting to feel like I should be paid for this kind of job. And good pay, with hazard compensation. God, my idea of a threesome _never_ looked like this." Gale started to complain just to keep himself going until he finally heard a car approach.

The van doors flew open, revealing Dyson who looked like an angry papa wolf. "Thank gods," Gale breathed, practically throwing Mark at Dyson. Dyson caught him easily, wrapping him in a few blankets and scooping up his deadweight. Mark curled into the warmth of his father but was still rather out of it.

"What happened?" Lauren questioned, taking over and marching into the van. Gale let Vex go as Bo draped blankets over his body, furrowing her brow and handing one to Gale.

"Thanks," he muttered, "Vex fell into the Quarry and Mark went after him. Mark definitely has cold shock but Vex is just a downright mess. I had to jump start his heart with jumper cables. He landed on the rocks."

"I can see that," Lauren mumbled, Vex crying out when she moved him. "We've got to get him to my clinic, I need things there."

"Great plan, didn't work. This god damn van won't turn over." Gale huffed.

Lauren looked up at him, ducking out of the van and going under the hood just as Gale had. Except this time when she shouted, "Try it now!" The bloody thing turned over. Gale let a string of curses out of his mouth that would have shocked a sailor.

"Dyson will meet us back at the clinic. He's got Mark. Bo, I need you to drive. Gale, I'm gonna need your help." Lauren barked in a way Gale had actually become quite fond of.

Laurens hands expertly moved up and down Vex's body, finding injury upon injury. Bo almost crashed the van as Vex screamed bloody murder when his ribs were touched. "He's got broken ribs but it seems all the major organs are intact. Definite internal bleeding from his spleen. I am pretty sure his skull is fractured or he may have a concussion. An MRI would give me a better idea about his condition but I'll need to rush him into surgery to get that bleeding handled."

"Will he live?" Gale questioned quietly.

"I don't know. If he wasn't fae I would say his progress is incredibly poor."

"Will. He. Live."

"I can't say for certain. I can only do everything possible for him and hope for the best."

"He can't die, Lauren. That will kill Mark too."

Lauren looked up at him sadly. "I know."

When Bo finally pulled into the clinic, Dyson was short behind her. All attention was focused on Vex while Mark was placed on a warming table with a heat trapping blanket on. He was out cold.

They rushed Vex into surgery to correct his internal bleeding. Gale watched through the window, watching Vex's vitals crash several times over the monitors. Lauren was barely pulling him through.

"He's gonna die." Gale muttered. Dyson, who had been standing beside him, nodded slowly. "If he dies, he'll take Mark with him. Mark won't stand to lose his mate."

"I'll take care of him." Dyson's gruff voice was thick with unshed tears. Despite how annoying, hard headed, and downright strange Vex could be, he had become family.

"No." Gale turned, walking into the church, common at all hospitals but small and unused here. He kneeled by the shelf of candles, clearing his throat and speaking in his old norse language.

"Lo, there do I see my father.

"Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers.

"Lo, there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning.

"Lo, they do call to me. They bid me to take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.

"Goddesses, Frigg and Eir, I beg of you. He is not one of your own. But I need your help. He must be healed. Should he die, the love of my life, my mate, will go with him. Please, I beg of you Eir, come down from Lyfjaberg, show me your ways of healing. Grant me the gift of giving life over death. I will give my life for his. I would do anything to save my mate from this nightmare."

Gale would have continued to beg, done anything to give life back to the one thing Mark cared about most in this world. But he didn't have to continue. His eyes rolled back into his head, showing only the whites and suddenly he was no longer on this ethereal plane.

He was standing outside of a great hall, white light emanating from it's doors. He was up high, on a hill or mountain. The light beckoned him and he cautiously stepped through the massive oak doors. Small, white spirits danced around the hall. Flowers of every kind in full bloom were draped across the walls.

"Great dark wolf, you have called upon me?"

Gale looked up to see a beautiful woman, sitting on a throne made of tree limbs, thriving with flowers and every sign of life. "Goddess Eir," Gale immediately bowed. Her light laughter filled the room and he felt himself getting lost in the sound.

"I have listened to your prayer, dark wolf. Your plight is a noble one. You would save the life of a man you should despise, to save your mate the pain of losing their own?"

"Yes, my goddess. I would do anything for my mate. Even save the man he chose over me." She nodded thoughtfully.

"What a brave and mighty wolf you are. I hope all of the black wolf's children turn out as you have. I will grant your wish, dark wolf. And you may keep your life. The sacrifice I require is much… simpler."

Gale looked up at her, confused. "What may I sacrifice to you, my goddess Eir?"

Eir touched his cheeks. "When you are given an opportunity to kill a man, spare his life, and remember this day when I spared yours. I aim to give life, dark one, not take it."

"I will do as you wish. I will not forget."

"Good." She smiled pleasantly. "Then you may take one of my spirits with you, heal this man, then return my spirit to me."

"I will. Thank you."

"Do not thank me yet. Keep your honor, dark wolf."

Mark had watched Vex crash for the fourth and final time. Lauren had tried CPR, a defibrillator, and an ambu-bag with no result. She looked up to him and mouthed, 'I am so sorry'. Dyson held Mark back as he tried to crash into the OR, screaming for his mate. Tears were streaking down his face and sobs were racking his chest. Dyson tried to calm him but there was no helping him as he slid to the floor, crying out.

Dyson saw Gale out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn his head to truly look at him before he bust into the OR. Every nurse in the room tried to push him back but Lauren stopped them, realizing something was different about him. It was as if his eyes were cloaked in white.

He touched Vex's chest, speaking in old norse. Lauren swore she could see pulses of warm light emanating from Gale's hands. Mark, too, was watching from the door, still a sobbing mess. Then, everything happened all at once. With a final pulse from Gale's hand, Vex's vitals jolted back into normal rhythm, the marks showing internal bleeding were slowly dissipating. Gale collapsed in the OR, two of the nurses tending to him.

Vex jolted awake violently, unable to be calmed by Lauren. He was frantic, pulling at his leads and IV. Mark rushed into the room, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him. "Vex!" He cried out.

Vex finally stilled, looking into Mark's dark brown eyes and regulating his breathing. "Mark?" He croaked. Tears were still slipping down Mark's face as he nodded. He enveloped Vex in a hug, practically crushing him, only lightening up when Vex yelped.

"Oh god, I thought I lost you. I thought you were really gone this time. I didn't- I couldn't-," his voice racked with sobs, "I can't live without you."

Vex ran his hands slowly down Mark's back, hugging him carefully. Mark's face was buried into his neck, soaked with tears. "I'm here, love. I'm never gonna leave ya, I swear."

The two stayed in each other's embrace for long after Vex had been moved into one of the rooms. Lauren had wanted to keep and eye on him, seeing as he wasn't completely healed. Mark refused to leave his side, resorting to sleeping on the bed with him in panther form. Vex was curled into his personal space heater, still wheezing some from broken ribs but finally stable.

Gale came around a few hours after the whole event, finding Dyson sitting by his bedside. He sat up quickly, looking around at his surroundings.

"Easy, buddy, easy." Dyson calmed him.

Gale clutched his head, feeling like his brain had been replaced with a brand new version. "What happened?" He groaned.

Dyson was quiet for a moment, probably pondering why Gale couldn't remember. "You saved Vex. We don't know how, but you essentially brought him back to life. He had coded four times. Unfortunately Mark saw the fourth time. But then you were there, and he was back. It was a miracle."

Gale grimaced. "Not a miracle. Prayer can get you a long way." He muttered under his breath. Dyson pretended not to hear him.

"Thank you, Gale."

"I didn't do it for you."

"Yeah, and you didn't do it for Vex either." Gale looked away and shrugged.

"I don't know. He's grown on me a bit."

Dyson laughed."No he hasn't."

"No," Gale paused, "he hasn't."


End file.
